Header photo credit Scott Hess; original photo cut and enlarged. Deep in the forests of the Big Island lies Pahoa Town – a sleepy little town, its sidewalks made of hundred-year-old planks of wood left over from a bygone time. A few old hippies wander around the streets, also left over from a bygone era. Pahoa Town’s rustic colorful buildings look like fake storefronts for a western movie, but they are real and still used as homes and businesses. This…
We traveled on Road to Hana two times in the past. One of those times, long time ago, we bought a self-guided tape and followed all the directions and made all the stops recommended on it. Another time, we stopped less and drove faster so that to spend more time in ‘Ohe’o Pools. As this was our third time, we knew what exactly we wanted to revisit, plus we leafed through one of Maui Guidebooks we found in our vacation condo to…
If you’re as familiar with 1993’s Jurassic Park as I am, then you’ll know that Hawaii is no stranger to prehistoric monsters. It’s also home to filming locations for The Lost World Jurassic Park (1997) and Jurassic Park III (2001) – the second and third films in the series. More recently, though, 2015 blockbuster Jurassic World was also filmed in Hawaii. In fact, the fourth film covered more Hawaiian ground than any of its predecessors. And while the new park doesn’t last long once…
You smile as a Hawaiian girl puts a plumeria lei around your neck. It’s your first Hawaiian Luau and you’re excited. Wearing your new lei, you walk onto the wide lawn where a 100 people, mostly in flowery shirts, are sitting at tables waiting for the Kalua Pig and the big hula show. There’s the Polynesian Stage, with the wide, silver ocean behind it and the big red sun hanging above the water. You step into the bustling dinner grounds…
Na Pali Coast of Kauai has unspoiled nature that is otherworldly. Its sky-high mountain peaks, raising directly from the ocean, and cascading waterfalls look ethereal. Due to the steep cliffs and the faraway location, this 15-mile coastline at the northwest of the island of Kauai remains one of the most beautiful and unspoiled in the world. One can only imagine, that 5 million years ago these mountain cliffs were hot flames that the Earth was spewing up. “Na Pali” means…
Ever wanted to zipline through Hawaiian jungle, ride a horse or ATV through jungle trails and movie sets? What about tasting locally grown grass fed beef? Kualoa ranch is a great place to see and enjoy while on Oahu! Just 24 miles from Honolulu on the North-Eastern shore (Oahu Winward Coast) off of Hwy 83 / Kamehameha Hwy. Kualoa Ranch has a lot to offer for tourists and locals alike. This is the world’s most famous private nature reserve, with…
This is a part of our 9-day Big Island Itinerary. UPDATE May 22, 2019: The spinner dolphins off the Kona Coast of Hawaii have the highest human exposure rates than anywhere in the world and federal officials work toward finalizing a rule outlawing the practice. Friday, December 29. I had originally scheduled our swimming with wild dolphins trip for yesterday, but considering that we could arrive to our cottage very late the night before, I contacted our dolphin guide Roberta…
This is a part of our 9-day Big Island Itinerary. Thursday, December 28. Today, we wanted to get to Hapuna beach, but ended up on a completely different, yet very nice Waialea beach, a.k.a. Beach 69. We just spent the first night at our final vacation rental home on the Big Island. We are taking it slow today, resting from active days spent on the Hilo side. When I did my research on where to stay on the western side…
In 1993’s ground-breaking Jurassic Park, tourists are pitted against genetically-engineered theme park dinosaurs. But if there’s something visually-striking about the movie besides its special effects, it’s the alluring backdrop. The remote island setting may be fictional, but its lush valleys, rugged mountains and majestic coastlines are very real. Along with the bestselling novel on which it’s based, Jurassic Park is set in Costa Rica, but it was actually filmed in Hawaii. Various filming locations included Oahu’s Kualoa Ranch and Kauai’s…
This is a part of our 9-day Big Island Itinerary. Wednesday, December 27. With help of a local guide I made arrangements to meet an authentically trained Kahuna healer in Volcano. We’ll treat her to a lunch at 11 am in Kilauea Lodge and then I will have a private session with Kahuna. After that we planned to stop at Jaggar Museum and Kilauea crater overlook, and then head to our rental cottage on Kona side. We’ll take the longer route,…